The widow of PC Andrew Harper has accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government of an ‘utter betrayal’ after two men convicted of her husband’s manslaughter remained eligible for earlier release from prison.
Lissie Harper said she was ‘beyond appalled’ after the Government confirmed changes intended to prevent rapists, serious child sex offenders and grooming offenders from benefiting from its revised release arrangements.
Those additional exemptions do not extend to every violent offence. Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were each sentenced to 13 years for the manslaughter of PC Harper, are reported to remain within the scope of the changes expected to begin in October.
Henry Long, the driver of the vehicle involved and the principal offender, is serving a 16-year sentence and is not expected to receive an earlier release under the scheme.
‘An utter betrayal’
Mrs Harper said the continuing eligibility of Bowers and Cole sent an ‘abhorrent message’ about the killing of a police officer.
‘I am beyond appalled and bristling with anger to hear that Andrew’s killers are soon to be free to roam the streets.’
She accused ministers of showing disrespect to Andrew, other victims and their loved ones, adding that the men had shown no remorse and had ‘robbed us of our future’.
‘To release them early from their already pitiful sentences is an affront to justice. The Government and the justice system have not just let me down... they have added insult to injury. They are meant to be on our side.
‘This is an utter betrayal – and it’s one I will not be able to forgive or forget.’
PC Harper, 28, died on 15 August 2019 while responding to the theft of a quad bike in Berkshire. He was dragged behind a vehicle as the offenders attempted to escape.
Thames Valley Police condemns decision
Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg issued an unusually direct public statement following confirmation that Bowers and Cole remained eligible.
‘I am beyond disappointed the Government is continuing to allow PC Andrew Harper’s killers to be released early from prison despite the overwhelming recent public outcry.’
Hogg said the position was demoralising for police officers and other emergency-service workers who place themselves in danger to protect the public. He pledged that the force would continue lobbying ministers to change the decision.
The chief constable also highlighted the difference between the sentences imposed in 2020 and the law now applying to comparable crimes.
‘If Andrew’s killers were convicted today, they would receive life sentences due to the law that was created in his name. They would not be eligible for early release.’
Why Harper’s Law does not change these sentences
Mrs Harper’s campaign after her husband’s death led to what became known as Harper’s Law. The law introduced mandatory life sentences for people convicted of the manslaughter of an emergency worker acting in the course of their duties, where the death occurred during another crime.
However, the provision applies to relevant sentences imposed after it came into force. It did not retrospectively replace the sentences given to Bowers and Cole in 2020.
The present controversy therefore arises from the interaction between their existing standard determinate sentences and the Sentencing Act 2026, rather than from either man having been sentenced under Harper’s Law.
What has Burnham changed?
Burnham paused the planned September introduction of the new release arrangements after an outcry from victims, campaigners, police representatives and opposition politicians. He has now said implementation will be delayed until October and that offenders sentenced for rape, serious child sexual offences and specified grooming offences will be excluded.
The wider Sentencing Act changes alter automatic release points for eligible prisoners serving standard determinate sentences. According to the House of Commons Library, some prisoners would move from release after 40 per cent or half of their custodial term to one third. Those serving at least four years for certain violent or sexual offences—including manslaughter—would move from two-thirds to the halfway point.
Release in these cases means serving the remainder of the sentence in the community on licence; it does not extinguish the sentence. Licence conditions may include supervision and restrictions, and an offender can be recalled to custody following a breach.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to go further but argued that wider exclusions were not possible without prisons reaching capacity, which he said would create a greater risk to public safety. The Government has also announced tougher supervision measures, restriction zones and additional support for victims.
Badenoch calls changes a ‘partial climbdown’
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Burnham should not expect praise for excluding rapists and child sex offenders from a scheme which had initially included them.
‘This is only a partial climbdown. Killers, violent offenders, men who have terrorised their partners and more will all still walk out of prison in October thanks to Labour’s early release scheme.’
Badenoch said victims had endured weeks of uncertainty and promoted a Conservative alternative summarised as ‘build, rent, remove’: building prisons, renting prison capacity overseas and removing foreign offenders.
The Government maintains that reform is necessary because of acute pressure on prison capacity. Its critics accept that the estate faces a serious shortage of places but argue that offenders convicted of the gravest violent crimes should be added to the exclusions.
A review that has not ended the argument
Burnham’s intervention has substantially narrowed the group of sexual offenders who may benefit from the changes, but it has not settled the broader dispute over violent crime, domestic abuse and the meaning of sentences handed down by courts.
For Mrs Harper and Thames Valley Police, the test is now a specific one: whether ministers will reconsider the eligibility of the two men convicted of Andrew Harper’s manslaughter before the revised arrangements begin.
Sources
- Thames Valley Police: Chief Constable’s statement, 3 August 2026
- Thames Valley Police: earlier statement and case background
- House of Commons Library: changes to automatic prisoner release dates
- Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022: Harper’s Law provision
- LBC: Lissie Harper’s response and sentencing details